Athens brightens up for the holidays after dark years of crisis

Athens kicked off the Christmas season on Tuesday with the lighting of a 17 meter tall natural tree in the capital's central square. Crowds gathered in the square, flooded with dazzling lights, where singers performed holiday tunes from a stage. Seeking to brush off a financial crisis that plagued the country for years, including its Christmas festivities, dozens of neighborhoods, streets and squares were lit up in Athens this year through the municipality's "adopt your city" initiative, where some 19 businesses, associations and foundations adopted a street or square to decorate in the capital.